Page 204 - japanese and korean art Utterberg Collection Christie's March 22 2022

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AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A DRAGON
EDO PERIOD (18TH-19TH CENTURY), SIGNED MUNEMITSU
(MYOCHIN MUNEMITSU)
The iron dragon finely constructed of numerous hammered plates
jointed inside the body; the hinged jaw opening to reveal a movable
tongue, ears, limbs and claws move, the body bends, the head is
applied with elaborate horns, spines and hinged movable whiskers,
the tail of the dragon entwining a double-edged gilt kurikaraken
(sword), the details are finely carved and chiseled, the eyes of shakudo
embellished with gilt; signature on underside of neck
17¡ in. (44.1 cm.) long
$60,000-80,000

The dragon is associated with Buddhism, Shinto and a wealth of
legends as a harbinger of fertility, bliss and imperial power. The
Dragon King of the Sea lives in a palace in the depth of the ocean
from which he controls the weather and tides. The dragon is often
described to be the most powerful mythical creature. In esoteric
Buddhism, the dragon and double-edged sword, entwined together
as the kurikara, symbolize the spiritual lasso and sword of the deity
Fudo Myoo (Sanskrit, Acala "The Immovable One"), in Japanese
especially revered by the samurai. The dragon is an imperial symbol
and foremost of the four divine animals.
According to Harada Kazutoshi, only 2 articulated sculptures by
Myochin Munemitsu are known to exist including the small dragon
offered here. For another sculpture of mythical beast (shachi) by the
artist in the collection of British Museum, see Harada Kazutoshi,
ed., Jizai okimono / Articulated Iron Figures of Animals, vol. 11
of Bessatsu Rokusho (Kyoto: Maria Shobo Co., Ltd., 2010), pl. 16.